Kodner and Cramer on the Case (Management) - Episode II: Why Time Flies (faster than you can track it and bill it): Integrating your Case Management System with your Billing Program and Handheld PCs

Welcome to Kodner and Cramer on the Case (Management), a monthly column written by
Ross Kodner and Sheryl Cramer.

Ross Kodner is a self-described
"recovering lawyer" who founded legal
technology consultancy and integration firm,
MicroLaw, Inc. 17 years ago.
He spends his time helping law practices better integrate technology into
their practices, as well as being a prolific CLE presenter and writer on
legal techno topics. Ross can be reached at 414-476-8433.

Sheryl Cramer is the founder and
principal of Cramer
Consulting. Replete with an array of case management and billing
system
certifications, Sheryl helps small firms deploy these systems
successfully.
Sheryl is also "Of Counsel" to MicroLaw,
Inc. Sheryl can be reached at 580-248-3099.

We received a tremendous response to our first column. We appreciate
all the comments and suggestions - keep them coming!

In a galaxy far, far away . . . wait, that’s a different “Episode II” –
sorry! (but by all means, go and see George Lucas’ latest masterwork –
it’s spectacular!) This column will touch upon a subject near and dear to
our collective hearts - billing for your time spent on client cases.

You’ve come to your techno.senses and purchased a case management program.
You followed all good advice and have implemented your system
intelligently (see Ross’ recent article on successful case management
implementation tips here on LLRX.com at
www.llrx.com/features/cmsystems.htm). You are now entering all your
dates: your appointments, deadlines, court dates, etc. on the calendar;
you are tracking your telephone calls and the time spent on your to-dos.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could bill the client from the information
that has already been painstakingly entered into your case management
program instead of having to re-enter everything in your billing program?
Or even worse, calculate the time you have spent by hand and type
everything using your word processor and then have someone else enter it
into your billing software? How much time will that take? What if you
forget items and don’t bill for your time? How much work do you which
inadvertently becomes pro bono?

The good news is that you don’t have to re-enter all the information or
calculate the time manually. Virtually all modern case management and
billing programs have a link(s) available that will send the information
entered into one program to another program. And in our situation, that
means sending time entries directly to the beating financial heart of your
practice, your time and billing system. Life doesn’t get much better than
this – simultaneously knowing what happening on all your open files AND
billing the client for every moment of work. OK, admittedly winning the
Powerball lottery, some sex or perhaps a really cool new laptop might be
better . . . but not by much.

So how do you get to this enlightened stage of billing nirvana? First, you
need to do your homework. This means understanding how your specific case
management system and billing system allow importing, exporting, linking,
synching with each other, etc. Next, create a game plan upfront before
ever installing the linking functions for each program. This will save you
time (and remember, time is always money, even if you’re not actually
writing out a check) as well as eliminate many headaches in the form of
duplicated data, rejected entries, and other ugly elements that can be the
by-products of a synching process gone wrong. The following case
management programs – some of the market leaders, all allow varying
degrees of synchronization with legal billing systems: Amicus Attorney (www.amicusattorney.com)
(PC Law: www.pclaw.com, Timeslips:
www.timeslips.com, TABS III:
www.stilegal.com, Quickbooks Pro:
www.intuit.com), Time Matters (www.timematters.com)
(PC Law, Timeslips, TABS, Juris: www.juris.com , Quickbooks Pro), and
AbacusLaw (www.abacuslaw.com) (Timeslips
and PC Law).

PracticeMaster (formerly known
as CaseMaster – www.stilegal.com)
and ProLaw take a different approach. Instead of linking, these companies
produce both case management and billing system products. In the case of
ProLaw, the two key law office functions – remember the famous zebra
campaign representing a consolidated Front Office, Back Office approach –
are all part of one software system. PracticeMaster directly connects to
STI’s TABS III billing system for real-time integration of case and
billing info. Other case managers and other legal billing systems also
link, sync and/or integrate – you need to do your homework in advance of
securing these systems.

What do you need to know about your potential case manager-billing system
link beforehand? Well, several things:

Does the link work in “real-time” (in this context, “real-time”
means the information that is posted in one program is sent immediately
to the other program or in fact the two programs actually share the same
data files)

Is the link a synchronization process and/or does it require an
import/export approach? Do you have to take this data exchange a step
further and send the information to the other program, and if so, is it
simply a click away or is it a more complicated export/import approach?

Is the link bi-directional (information added or changed in either
program will show in the other program) or is the information sent just
one way? In other words, if you enter time in your case manager, does it
flow to the billing system and that’s the end of the story? Or can time
entered into the billing system be also viewed from the case manager’s
screens?

How is the link set up? Is it manually set up for each user or from
a central location? With 3 or 4 users, manual “by user” configuration
isn’t a big deal. When there are 50 users involved, a manual “by user”
configuration process is about as much fun (and as much of a challenge)
as wrestling with an alligator. Also, if the case manager has a “server
modules”, does the server module need a link set up as well?

Do your activity or transaction codes match up in both programs?
This is typically essential. If your billing system says “No. 58, RRC,
Received and reviewed correspondence”, your case manager needs to have
that same code available for time entry and pass-through. Do you have
enough timekeepers licensed in your billing program? Have both programs
been aligned and matched properly so as to not create duplicate entries
that would require really cumbersome manual cleanup?

Is there even a link available? Um . . . actually, that should
probably be the first question to ask.

Once the link is properly set up, what can you do with it? The fact
that two case managers both claim they link with the TABS III billing
system doesn’t mean they do it in the same way. It doesn’t mean that the
same kinds of information flow between the two programs. One case
manager might allow a one-way import of TABS III client information but
not time entry transfer into TABS. Another case manager might allow
client information to flow back and forth as well as time entries. The
point is that seeing a “feature box” checked off indicating your case
manager integrates with nineteen different billing systems doesn’t mean
much in and of itself – you need to clearly understand what the linkage
actually does for each billing system.

So now you can send the time you have already entered in your case
management program to your billing program. Time that you previously did
not bill for, or would have otherwise slipped between the cracks, you
can now catch and bill for:
a. Phone calls;
b. To dos;
c. Appointments / court hearings;
d. Notes entered;
e. Document preparation.

A link properly set up and used will eliminate duplicate entry and
minimize mistakes: clients will only be entered in one program instead
of several places. Your case manager’s client addresses and contact
information will be consistent with the same client info in the billing
program. If a client address changes, just correct it in one place and
the other program will be updated, either automatically or upon the next
sync.

We can hear those crying out “but I don’t track my time – I only work on
contingency files or on flat fee matters.” Even so, a link between your
case management and billing programs can benefit you. Track your time
and see where most of your time and firm resources are spent; on what
type of case; what is done; what cases are most profitable warranting
expansion of your practice and which cases are such hourly equivalent
losers that you’d make more flipping burgers. What about client costs?
You need a way of billing them back to the client for reimbursement but
at the same time, it can be very helpful to have comprehensive
“financial status at a glance” ability when viewing the client’s matter
file in the case manager. Having costs advanced listed only makes sense
instead of having to separately open the billing software and look it
up. It’s always easier and preferable to use one program instead of two.

A good link between your billing and case management programs will
basically save you time (which gives you more billable time or time for
yourself), help you to stamp out the evil scourge of duplicative entries
and of course, minimize mistakes.

To Palm or Not to Palm, that is the question.

We can hear you saying, “This billing stuff is great, but what about
when I’m on the road? Don’t I have to re-enter all the information that
I’ve done out of the office?” We would answer with a resounding “No! Not
if you use a Palm-sized handheld computer!”

There are several types of hand-held devices on the market. The two
main, most popular devices use either the Palm operating system (the
first and original) or Microsoft’s Pocket PC operating system (which
used to be referred to as “Windows CE”: basically a mini Microsoft
Windows). Going into detail about what each one does and their
capabilities is beyond the scope of this column. There are dozens of
very capable handheld PCs in every size, shape, color, and at prices
ranging from under $100 to over $700. The key is not which one “feels”
good when you hold it but rather, which handheld PCs are supported by
your case management and billing programs. You MUST know whether a
handheld PC will sync with your software systems before you take it home
and develop a meaningful relationship with it. Take our advice and your
handheld PC will be your best friend instead of an aggravatingly
expensive paperweight.

Syncing your handheld PC and your case management program is very simple
once the link between the two is configured correctly. Simply put your
device in its cradle (or eliminate wires altogether and use infrared, if
that is available to you), hit the sync button and the information is
immediately transferred and updated between the two. The information
that can flow can include calendars, contact/matter info, to-do lists
and sometimes even case notes. Buy software such as “Documents to Go” (www.dataviz.com)
and you can even take Word and WordPerfect documents with you. Adobe has
a free Palm PDF reader as well (www.adobe.com).

When you link your handheld PC to your case management program, you will
always have your calendar, contacts and to do list available wherever
you might be. Need to schedule a hearing with a judge or another
attorney at the courthouse? Pull out your handheld PC and immediately
know what dates will work for you. Enter the hearing on your device,
sync with your case management program upon your return to the office,
and viola! The date will appear on everyone’s calendar. (There are also
cool games, eBooks and even the contents of websites (see
www.avantgo.com!) that you can
download to your handheld PC. Take a look at Ross’ CLE materials for his
“Mobile Lawyering” presentation for the skinny on handheld PCs (www.microlaw.com/whatsnew.htm
and then click on the link for “LegalTech Los Angeles 2002 - Taking the
Legal Show on the Road”).

When you are at the courthouse waiting for your hearing to be called or
waiting for the judge, don’t just sit there wasting valuable otherwise
billable time! Use your handheld PC to work on your to-do list or to
look up the number to an insurance adjuster and call to discuss a
settlement on a case. Enter your time using software specifically
designed to permit this (take a look at TimeReporter:
www.iambic.com and DTE InHand:
www.aps-soft.com/Products/InHand/Index.html). When you’re back at
the ranch, the time you entered on your device can be easily transferred
to your case management program and/or billing system; you will have a
record of what you did for your client plus you can then submit a bill
for the time spent. In addition to using your handheld PC with your case
management program, more and more legal billing systems will allow you
to sync with Palm OS-based devices which means you can track client
costs while on the road and have them transferred as well as your time
entries.

As always, the best advice we can give you is “don’t reinvent the
wheel.” Use the billing and handheld PC links that come with your case
management program to effectively stay on top of your cases and put a
little extra money in your pocket . . . and that can’t help but put a
smile on your face.

NEXT ISSUE: Watch for the third in this series of case management
integration columns.

Ten Hot Case Management Integration Tips

1. Most liability insurance companies require duplicate calendars; check
with your carrier to see if using a handheld PCs calendaring capability
will count as calendar number two.
2. Using a handheld PC is also a “mini backup” for your case management
program. Keep your device with you and not at the office to safeguard
your data – it’s got all your contacts, your calendars and your to-do
lists all duplicated from the office’s case management software!
3. The billing and handheld PC links are usually already built in to the
case management system: nothing else to purchase. Note that more and
more legal billing systems either have handheld time-entry capability,
either built-in or with add-on products like those previously mentioned.
4. Enter all your time on a case and your to dos in your case management
program; not only will this help you to keep on top of all aspects of
your open files but will also make it more likely you’ll bill all your
time, rather than have those little “tenth-ers” dribble away.
5. Check all your key software systems for the ability to integrate with
your case management system - you may already have everything you need
and not know it!
6. REGULARLY check the case management program vendor’s website for any
updates and patches available for your program – while it may be less
important to keep your word processor completely current, it’s really
important with your case management software.
7. Before you fork over big bucks on a handheld PC, make sure it will
sync with the software you currently have or are planning on
implementing. It does you no good at all to buy a shiny new Compaq iPaq
only to find it doesn’t integrate with your case manager.
8. Research other uses for your handheld PC – there is a plethora of
capabilities above and beyond the basic trio of calendar, address and
to-do list tracking. As previously mentioned, view and even edit word
processing documents, check travel information, view live GPS-linked
maps, read the news, view the Federal Rules of Evidence and Civil
Procedure and much more.
9. Learn how to actually USE your case management and billing programs,
your links between them and how they interact with your handheld PC -
they will become your best techno.friends. And yes, this means getting .
. .
10. TRAINED! Training is a very good thing; have everyone in the office
trained and be very picky and selective about who trains you. Think of
it this way: if you were accused of committing murder, would you hire a
first year wet-behind-the-years criminal law rookie to defend you? Of
course not – you’d hire the best criminal defense lawyer you could
afford. Why wouldn’t you take the same approach in finding and hiring a
case management trainer? There’s no software product that will
interweave itself into the very fabric of your practice. Allow plenty of
time for implementation, training and learning; it won’t happen
overnight but is well worth the time invested.

See you next month for Episode III – keep your ideas, tips and
suggestions coming.